Sheikan Chronicles, Book 2: Children of Destiny
by WolfosTerrence
Summary: Hyrule is a wasteland. Death lingers around everywhere. Bodies lay in the dust and rock plane that was once Hyrule Field, never to be buried. The only safe place now is the desert, or underground where Ganondorf’s ever-watchful eye cannot see. (chpt7 up)
1. Thieves

This story is rated PG-13 for descriptive violence and dark themes.

** _-_**_A word from the author:_

** 'This is a sequel to my first ever finished fanfic _'Rise of the Sheikah'_. I hope that readers of the last one will come back to read this, and hopefully I'll draw some newcomers that'll enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it. **

**I'm pretty excited about this particular story, so I hope more and more people will come to read it, as it gives me even more motivation to press on. So, if you read this story, PLEASE review and tell me what you think about it. I don't care if you wanna flame me, I'd just like to hear everyone's opinion of it.**

**Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy the second book in the _Sheikan Chronicles _series.'**

** -WT **

'

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''**Sheikan Chronicles, Book 2**''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

_''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''__Destiny of the Sheikah__'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''_

'

'' ''

**_Chapter One – Thieves_**

'' ''

It had just turned midnight, and if the Sheikah positioned on the walls of the blockade could feel boredom, they'd be close to falling asleep. But, their watchful eyes continued to scan the area as far as they could see. However, they failed to notice the two figures that were slowly making their way around the side of the connected towers that made up the blockade.

A gloved hand with a piece of wire in it came out of one of the cloaks that hid the features of the two prowlers and started to pick the padlock on the door. Once it was unlocked the door slowly creaked open and the two went in, brandishing their blades. The shorter of the two (who was only a few inches shorter) had in his hand a Sheikan dagger with a silver hilt and a ten-inch blade. Shining under his hood were two red eyes, their glow piercing through the darkness and guiding their owner around as he searched for anything of value.

The other one, however, didn't seem to be able to get around as well as his companion. His hand managed to find the wall and he used it to guide himself along until...

_CRASH!_

Now, who put that there?

The thief growled and kicked the stool away.

"Will you shut up, Teious!" said the red-eyed thief in a quiet but angry voice. "If the Sheikah find out we're here we'll be hanged and put on display."

Teious groped around for his fallen sword. "I know that. Not my fault I can't see a thing when it's pitch-black like you can."

With his simple long-bladed sword back in his hand, Teious got up and said, "Well? Anything in here?"

"No...Let's check the next room."

Red-Eyes took Teious' hand to lead him to the door, where he opened it slightly and peeked through. The room on the other side was lit dimly by a single torch hanging on the wall and had armor and weapons stored inside.

"Heh, the armory," Red-Eyes smiled, opening the door the rest of the way.

It seemed they were going to have an easy time looting the place – getting out with it all just might have proved harder.

Teious stepped in, examining a sword. "Man, Miroku... The Sheikah really know how to make a weapon."

"Why do you think I carry one around?" Miroku answered with a slight smile.

Both of them looked roughly the same age, around sixteen or seventeen. Teious had raven colored hair, green eyes, and wore a green cloak. Miroku, just a tad smaller than Teious, had red and orange hair that looked as if it was made up of grass and leaves. He wore a black cloak and silver gauntlets, and in the dim light those red eyes of his squinted ever so slightly.

Miroku grabbed a bunch of swords and wrapped them in a leather strap he found, and then tied it around his back. Teious was grabbing chainmail and leather breastplates and stuffing it best he could into a brown duffle bag he had brought, and tossed some gauntlets in for good measure.

Miroku walked over to another corner of the room and found a bin full of clothes.  
"Nuh-uh," Teious objected. "Not the dirty clothes."

"Hey, they can be cleaned. Besides," He picked up the bag that held all the clothes and pulled it out of the bin. "we don't have enough material for clothes anymore. Our people are going to freeze."

Once they had everything together that they were stealing they carried it back out the door and scurried away to the nearest cover behind a high rocky area. From there they were about ten yards away from the forest that gazed out onto the dirt road that lead to Hyrule Castle, which was what the blockade was for. They dashed into the forest and just kept running until they were deep inside.

"Well, that wasn't so hard," Miroku finally said, stopping for a breather.

"Yeah, it was kinda boring," Teious chuckled.

Miroku and Teious continued on through the thick woods, treading as lightly as possible over sticks and fallen branches. Perhaps if Hyrule was the way it was back before Ganondorf came to rule an owl would be hooting somewhere up in the trees and perhaps crickets would be chirping, along with other night time noises. And perhaps the two young men wouldn't be keeping every one of their senses alert for any type of danger; the Sheikah, monsters, and even Hylians that had betrayed their country.

That's the way it was in Hyrule. Monsters ran rampant everywhere, the Sheikah and those traitorous Hylians pillaged, burnt homes, and killed. Hyrule was in a chaotic state.

Why?

Ganondorf. Eleven years had passed since Majora had revived The King of Evil, throwing Hyrule into a darker time than even the Great War when all the races of Hyrule had fought against each other.

Ganondorf's rule had brought nothing but death, sadness, and fear. The once green planes of Hyrule had turned into nothing but dust and rock. Streams had dried up. Trees began to wither and die. And slowly most of the animals that inhabited Hyrule disappeared, monsters taking their place. It was because of that lack of supplies that people like Teious and Miroku were sent out to steal anything they could from the enemy.

They were orphans that had grown up in this chaotic world, therefore they knew very well how to take care of themselves. Both of them had considerable swordsman skills for their young age, not to mention their hand-to-hand combat and thieving skills.

Both of them also possessed a special ability; Miroku was part skull-kid, therefore his eyes could see in the dark. Teious' ability was using Light magic, something even Hyrule's strongest mages couldn't do. What was even more perplexing was that he had learnt in naturally, as in no one had taught him.

There was a down side to Miroku's ability though. Just like the skull children, Miroku's eyes were sensitive to light, so during the day or in places that were brightly lit he had to wear a blindfold.

Miroku stuck his head out of the bushes and scanned the area. They had reached the edge of the forest that looked out upon a long, flat, and dead piece of land, just like every other part of Hyrule Field.

The coast looked clear, so he signaled to Teious and they both ran out of the forest and across the plane, keeping their senses alert for anything, then finally stopped a few yards away, behind a large outcrop. Without saying a word, they both got down and started feeling around the sand. Teious seemed to have found what they were looking for, so he nudged Miroku and grabbed something under the sand, pulling up a trap door. It lead down a passage deep underground, where they would spend the night and continue back to base the next day.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

'

Deep in the desert, far out of Ganondorf's reach, was where those two were headed, and was where Sheik, leader of the Resistance, was. He was Sheikah himself, but was the last one that held strong to the vow that his ancestors made; to protect Hyrule and the Royal family at all costs.

He was in a room surrounded by maps, with nothing else in there except a long table, a couple of lanterns to light up the room, and a zora by the name of Isuke. Second-in-command of the Resistance.

They were going over maps and discussing areas of weakness, strong points, etc.

"I still think we can strike now!" Isuke insisted. "Our army is stronger than ever, and Ganondorf has been showing several weaknesses."

Sheik just shook his head and continued to study the maps. "Our army _is_ strong now, yes. But not strong enough. If we continue training for another three or four years then we may be ready."

Isuke slammed his fist on the table. "That's bull crap and you know it! If we wait even longer our people will just suffer more and more people will die!"

"Isuke, if we try to take back Hyrule now, our victory cannot be assured. Pretty much our whole army has been training for ten years, but it isn't enough. We have less numbers and aren't as skilled as some of those Sheikan warriors."

Isuke sighed. He knew Sheik was right, but he hated just waiting. He had been doing that for over ten years, and he wanted to act. But instead he turned and stormed out of the room, off to train more.

'

Most assuredly, if the large wooden stake had been any type of living being Isuke's punch would've knocked it all the way across the training hall, not only killing it but anything in it's path too.

Instead, his arm went right through it, but the shockwave that emanated from the punch was so powerful it shattered wood like glass.

The Zora didn't notice, but if anyone had been in the room they left. Quickly. Isuke's temper was one of his major faults, and everyone knew better than to be around him when he was in a bad mood.

Being a fighter by nature, Isuke always was looking for a fight. If he wasn't sparring with the Resistance members he'd be out looking for some monsters to kill. He found Wolfos and Stalfos particularly fun to fight.

He long to fight a Sheikah again though. Fighting one would mean taking several risks though, such as loosing your life, especially because they always traveled in packs, just like wolves hunting for prey.

Once he had been out on a reconnaissance mission with four other Resistance soldiers and had been caught unaware by a group of patrolling Sheikah. Only he and one other made it back alive.

That was the main reason he strived to be stronger. Sure, he fought for the thrill of it and even before all this he always tried to be better and better. But now he trained and fought so that if he was ever in a situation like that again he'd be able to bring all his men back with him safely.

"It isn't easy to get training stakes like those anymore you know," came a voice.

Isuke broke away from his thoughts and, not bothering to look up to see who voice belonged to, stared at what he had done absentmindedly.

Well, the stakes were all on the floor, most of them in pieces as small as an arrow head. The pillars were cracked, some of them even with chunks taken out, and the walls had slash marks in them, no doubt done by his fins.

"Are you okay, Isuke?" tenderly asked the blue haired female standing in the large entrance.

"Not really," Isuke replied, leaning against the wall for a breather.

Zara was the name of the bright-eyed young woman. She was no Hylian, though many would mistake her for one. She was a fairy.

Those eleven years ago she had left the Fairy Sanctuary to aid Hyrule in its plight. She now was head of the Healing House, and an apprentice to the high mage, Zanzu. She was very caring, and was always trying to help others as best she could.

Usually she could even calm Isuke down....

"Isuke, tearing up the training room doesn't help anything," She said softly.

"It helps me get my anger out," he muttered. "I'm fine now though."

Zara, never one to give up easily, leaned down to make him look into her eyes. "You are lying. Heh, after only a year being around you I could always tell when you're upset."

"What? You want a medal or something?"

"Don't be like that! I want you to tell me what's wrong so I can help."

"I'm just sick of waiting around here like this while Ganondorf and the Sheikah are destroying Hyrule and forming it to fit themselves!"

"Ah, that again. I should have known. If you keep throwing temper tantrums whenever you get upset about not striking against Ganondorf we will not have any hideout left." She put her hand on his. "Isuke, the time will come for us to fight. But it is not now."

The Zora just yanked his hand away from hers and walked out of the room, leaving a saddened Zara.

"Isuke..."

'

After spending rest of the night and most of the day in the underground hideaway, Miroku and Teious had finally emerged and had made it to the western deserts. However, now there was one more obstacle to face; the Sheikah-infested village called Taurise.

Once a peaceful desert village, Taurise was now one of the many villages Ganondorf had tight control over villagers were constantly living in fear of being killed or tortured, especially because Hylian traitors and Moblins both occupied the village, and there was this difference between the Sheikah and the other two. Sheikah only did as they were told. They didn't touch any of the villagers unless otherwise ordered.

The Hylians or Moblins always, of course, felt superior to such 'inferior' people. If they got angry or even just bored they'd go out and do whatever they pleased. Countless people had been murdered, many women raped, and children were forced to work and were kicked around and mistreated a lot of the time.

Teious and Miroku were crouched down on a rocky ledge overlooking the village, surveying the area which was bathed in moonlight.

"Man, I really wish we could do something about this place," Teious mumbled.

"Well, it's not like we haven't tried. There were too many soldiers here for us to do anything -- we got obliterated."

"I know, but, still..."

Just then, there was a yell and two children burst from a house, running down the street. A second later a moblin ran out, quickly running down and beating them to the ground.

Miroku clenched his teeth and gripped the hilt of his dagger, dropping the loot from the other day. "I feel like having bacon today," he said, no joking in his tone. "You?"

Teious drew his sword, and his tone mimicked Miroku's as he replied, "Sounds good to me."

** Well, there it is, the first chapter in the second book. Hope ya'll enjoyed it enough to come back for more. Yes, I'm sorry that Sheik didn't play much of a part this time around...but I assure you, he _is_ one of the main characters, so you'll be seeing a lot more of him. **

**I'm not sure when I'll be able to finish the second chapter, but I'll be getting my own computer up soon, so hopefully I'll be able write chapters more (my sister is always on the main computer). **

**So, until next time, thanks for reading, and please review if you have time **

**P.S. (If you're confused about how to pronounce Teious, its 'Tay-us')**


	2. Rescue

''

**Chapter Two: **_Rescue_

''

'

Near the edge of Taurise there was a small inn and inside it Moblins and Hylians alike were seated where they drank, ate, and also enjoyed laughing at and mocking the people of Taurise. A fireplace and a few lanterns gave off enough light to see by in the gloomy, but loud inn. The foul stench of Moblins hung in the air, not to mention smoke and burnt food. I was a place where the most killings happened, therefore people would rather stay away from it, but some couldn't escape working there.

"HEY! GIRL! Bring me my food!" barked a Moblin.

"R-right away, sir," said Mia, a black-haired girl about fourteen or fifteen years old.

The girl, trembling slightly, came over with a tray and placed a big cup of ale down, and then put the bowel of slop on the table. However, it was a little to close too the edge and over the side it went, into the Moblin's lap.

The Moblin jumped up, cursed, and grabbed the girl by the neck. "You little brat! Look at what you did!"

"I'm…s-sorry, it was a-an accident," Mia pleaded.

He lifted his hand to slap her across the cheek but it was quickly smashed away by a frying pan.

The Moblin roared in pain and shot a look at the wielder of the pan; a young boy no older than eleven.

"Hey, ugly!" The boy yelled angrily. "Keep your filthy paws off my sister!"

"Caleb!" Mia gasped.

The pig-monster growled half from pain, half from being ticked-off. "I'll teach you a lesson, you little-"

He was thus silenced by a frying pan across his face. The boy grabbed his sister's hand and they both took off out of the inn, running as fast as they could down the street. It wasn't long after that the courageous young lad felt a foot on his back that sent him sprawling onto the sandy street, his sister dropping next to him right after.

The Moblin grabbed Caleb by his dark-brown hair and pulled him up to look him in the face. The boy had to turn his face away – the stench coming from the Moblin's bloodied mouth was so repugnant he felt he could pass-out.

"I'll teach you to mess with me, boy!!"

"Hey!" yelled a traitor-Hylian soldier. "Look out, Balgum!"

Balgum the Moblin turned around and instantly dove away from an incoming blade, escaping with a few missing hairs.

Caleb looked up and saw two teenagers standing over him. "Who…?"

'

Teious smirked a little, getting into a defensive stance with his sword for any one that tried attacking him. Miroku was next to him, his dagger brandished and ready.

"Picking on defenseless kids ain't very nice," said Teious, looking at Balgum.

"No indeed," Miroku remarked, his eyes scanning the whole area, trying to estimate how many soldiers they were up against.

Balgum cursed again and got up, yelling at someone to bring him his halberd. A smaller moblin came running with the large weapon and Balgum instantly snatched it out of his hands.

"You two must have a death wish to come barging in here like that!" he laughed/snorted.

The Hylian and Moblin soldiers gathered around, encircling the two warriors and the two siblings. Teious cocked his head towards Miroku and asked, "Think we can do it?"

"No…," Miroku sighed. "Too many of them. And if any Sheikah appear we're really dead."

As if on cue, over half a dozen Sheikah appeared on the rooftops of the village, staring down at them with their empty eyes.

"Oh no…" Teious said sadly. "I never thought I'd die this soon, I had hoped we'd both live to see Hyrule liberated. Oh well..., it's been fun, Miroku."

"Will you quit talking like we're gonna die?!" Miroku chastised. "We can get out of this…just concentrate." Miroku looked down at the boy and girl they had just saved, who seemed more confused than anything, and then up at the cliff where they had stashed all the stuff they stole. "Okay, I'll grab the boy, you take the girl. We'll have to come back for the stuff we stole later."

"Right."

The soldiers gave out a yell and charged at them, their blades looking more menacing than ever.

"Split up, I'll take left. We'll meet at the normal meeting place." Miroku said calmly, picking up the boy and leaping over the oncoming battalion. A Sheikah jumped at him in mid-air but Miroku, surprising himself, was able to kick him away and land safely on the other side of the soldiers.

_Weird…he must be a lower class Sheikah. I wonder if the rest of them are…_

"Hey! What are you doing with me?!" The boy yelled.

"Rescuing you," Miroku answered, ducking into an ally.

"You didn't need to help me! I could have taken that stupid Moblin on by myself!"

"Yeah, sure you could."

'

Teious had the girl over his shoulder and was racing down the street as fast as he could to get away from the soldiers chasing after him. Thankfully, none of them had arrows and their aim when it came to throwing spears was very bad.

The girl screamed when she saw a Sheikah jump down from the roof of a hut in an attempt to pounce the two escaping Hylians. Teious swiftly raised his hand and fired a ball of glowing golden magic at the Sheikah. The ball crashed into him and sent him flying into the wall of the building he jumped from, leaving a gaping hole in his chest.

The young warrior bent down and sprung into the air. His jump got him close enough to, with his free arm, grab a pole sticking out of one of the roof tops that a flag hung from. He kicked his legs out until he got enough swing to jump from the pole to another roof.

Upon landing, Teious took a look back and saw that he had put quite a bit of distance between himself and his pursuers.

"You okay, girl?" He asked.

"I…I…" she stammered.

"Good."

Teious ran across the rooftop, jumped to another, and continued in this fashion until he was out of Taurise.

'

Miroku leaned against a rock wall, sighing a little. "Sheesh…where is he?"

"Hey," said the boy. "Thanks for back there."

Miroku smiled and nodded a bit. "What's your name?"

"Caleb. What's yours?"

"Miroku."

"Why did you help me and my sister back there anyway? You obviously aren't very strong if you ran away like that."

Miroku gave the kid a look. "I dunno if you were aware of this, but going up against odds like that would be impossible. No one but Link could have taken on that many people at once."

Caleb climbed up on top of a rock, took a look around, and then looked back at Miroku. "Who's Link?"

"Well, I was too young to remember much about him, but...well, have you ever heard of the Hero of Time?"

"Of course. My father always told me that the Hero of Time once saved Hyrule from Ganondorf before, but, before Ganondorf took over again the Hero of Time died, and when he died several lights appeared in the middle of Hyrule field and just shot off in all different directions."

Miroku smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Not bad. Your father taught you a lot, eh?"

"Yes, before he died."

Miroku's heart sunk. Poor kid.

"I don't need your pity or anything though," Caleb said. "I do well enough by myself. I can take care of my sister just fine too."

Caleb stared off into the distance, and it was there he spotted something approaching in the moonlight. "Miroku, look!"

Miroku pushed himself off the wall and looked out at the horizon. Sure enough, there was a figure racing towards them, and it appeared to have something over its shoulder.

"It's Teious."

When the female-carrying Hylian finally made it to the spot, Miroku's greeting was, "What took you so long?"

Between panting and after putting the passed-out girl down, Teious replied, "What? You weren't worried?"

"I'm not your mommy."

"Thankfully so too."

Caleb rushed to his sister's side. "What did you do to Mia?!"

"Hey, calm down!" Teious said, putting his hands up in defense. "She's really edgy. A lance almost hit us and she just passed out."

"Oh...Well, yeah, my sister is like that."

Miroku picked Mia up in his arms and started walking. "Come on, we need to get going."

"Going where? Where are you taking us?" Caleb asked.

Teious put a hand on Caleb's head and ruffled his hair. "To the Resistance Base, kid."


	3. Safety

I'd like to apologize for the long delay in uploading a new chapter. Not only have I been like, really busy, but I kinda lost my inspiration for this fic. But then I realized how many reviews I had for only the beginning and I got back my inspiration to keep writing on it.

Thanks a whole lot for the reviews, guys.

'

'''''''''''''''''''''

**Chapter Three:** _The Resistance Base_

'''''''''''''''''''''

'

Miroku carefully climbed down the iron ladder using his right hand and legs, as his other hand was occupied with the duty of not letting Mia fall. Teious and Caleb were climbing down above him, Teious with a grip on Mia's leg in case Miroku dropped him, and Caleb was getting annoyed at the length of the ladder.

"Why in Hyrule is this thing so long?!" Caleb complained. "I can't even see the bottom of it!"

"Don't worry," Teious reassured him. "That's just an illusion spell our mages put up. We're almost at the bottom."

Once they reached the bottom Miroku walked forward through the darkness and hit something on the wall. A few seconds later, a wall opened up and a flood of light came in.

"Master Miroku, good to see you," said one of the guards. "Who is that young lady?"

Miroku, who had had his eyes closed the whole time, held Mia over his shoulder and pulled a black cloth from his cloak, folded it over and pulled it over his eyes, tying it into place. He finally answered, "A girl Teious and I rescued from Taurise. I'm going to bring her to my room, have someone bring her water and …uh…whatever else."

"Right away!"

Teious gave Caleb (to his great annoyance) a pat on the head and said, "C'mon, I'll find you a room or at least some blankets for you to bed down in."

"No! I'm staying with my sister."

Miroku sighed and started walking down a tunnel to their left. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Follow me."

Caleb observed the tunnel as they walked down in, looking at all the openings, making little caves or something. Outside those 'rooms' were people lined up against the walls, eating the little food they had, sleeping, trying to hush their crying newborn, coughing from some terrible sickness… everyone just looked awful.

_And I thought things were bad in my village…_

Caleb realized he had fallen behind and ran to catch up to Miroku and Teious. He tugged on Teious' arm to get his attention. "Teious, why are all these people down here? Living like this can't be-"

"What other choice do they have?" Teious responded grimly. "It's either stay here or go up there and live in bondage, where moblins kill just for the heck of it. We do our best to feed these people, clothe them, and, yes, living underground isn't all that great – but at least they have more of a chance of living."

"But…"

"The Resistance _will_ free Hyrule," Miroku said, finally opening his mouth. "And when we do, Teious and I are going to work with our own two hands to rebuild everything Ganondorf has destroyed. That includes houses for every one of these people. All the survivors will be able to go on and live a normal life and raise their children for brighter future."

Teious stopped walking and looked at Caleb. "Even when Ganondorf is over-thrown, us two are going to keep hunting down evil and destroying it before it becomes a major threat to our land. We won't stop until Hyrule is safe."

"Quite a job you both have committed yourselves to." It was that not-so-cold-anymore, emotionless voice they were so used to hearing.

Sheik stood there behind them. "I'd like to have a talk with you both." He said simply, and walked down the end of the tunnel.

"Crap…are we in trouble?" Teious asked worriedly.

"I don't know…" Miroku responded.

They continued on down the tunnel until they came to a certain cave where two old people were sitting

and eating together.

_Darn, I forgot…I gave up my room for that old couple right before Teious and I left to get supplies._

"Um, pardon me…"

"Oh!" exclaimed the old man. "Young master Miroku. Good to see you again."

Miroku smiled pleasantly and nodded. "I was hoping you two would look after this girl for the time being."

"Why, what happened to the poor lass?" The old woman asked. "She fainted and still hasn't awoken."

"She was terribly worn-out from working," Caleb said. "She's just sleeping."

"We shall certainly take care of her for you, master Miroku."

"Thank you very much." He gave them a nod of thanks and laid her down on the pile of straw then turned and walked out of the room.

Teious looked at Caleb. "You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Teious shrugged and followed after Miroku.

'''''''''''''''''''''''

"So, you two launched an assault on Taurise."

Sheik, though rather short, still looked frightening with the cold glare he gave from his blood-red eyes. Miroku and Teious had both grown-up being trained by this Sheikah, but they had always been fearful of him. Heck, Zara and Isuke were the only ones that _weren't_ scared of him.

"Not only did you two disobey me, but you both risked giving out the location of this place to the enemy." He was clearly angry, yes, but never the less he kept his calm tone of voice and emotionless mask, not wavering at all.

Just then Isuke ran in, a big smile on his face. "Teious! Miroku! I heard you guys took on all the Sheikah and Moblins in Taurise and rescued a little boy and girl! Nice goin'! I wish I had been with you!"

Now, since all Sheikah kept one face on at all times, it was rather hard to read what they were thinking. But after being around a Sheikah for so many years you kind of develop a sixth sense towards them, and that sixth sense was telling Isuke that Sheik was giving him an evil glare.

He laughed nervously and gave Sheik a slap on the back. "C'mon, Sheik, don't be too hard on them. You know you are only mad at them 'cause you just wish they'd listen to you for once. Heh, heh."

Sheik sighed and just walked out of the room silently.

Isuke turned back to look at the two teenagers as he remembered something. "Hey, where are all the supplies you guys were supposed to get?"

"Aw, crud," Teious moaned, slapping his forehead. "I forgot about 'em."

"We left them at the cliff near Taurise," Miroku said. "We couldn't bring them and those two siblings at the same time."

"I guess I can go back out with you two tonight and get the stuff." Isuke cracked his knuckles as he spoke. They could tell he was itching for a fight and hoping one would break out when they went to retrieve the loot.

"I'm not looking forward to it very much myself," Teious muttered. "I haven't gotten much sleep at all since we left."

Miroku opened the door and said without looking back, "You don't have to come you know."

"Oh yeah, right. Like I'm gonna leave you out there by yourself. You wouldn't last one day without me."

"I beg to differ, infant."

"Infant?! Who are you calling an infant, you…"

Isuke smiled, listening to them go back and forth like two squabbling brothers until their voices drowned out into the deepness of the caverns.

Zara came in a little after the sounds had disappeared. "Hello, Isuke," she greeted. "Was that Miroku and Teious just now making all that noise?"

"Heh, yeah," Isuke chuckled. "Oh, me and the boys will be going out tonight."

"Where are you going?"

"They left the stuff they stole at the cliff outside of Taurise so I'm going with them to get it back." He started walking at the door when Zara took his hand and looked at him.

"Please…promise me you'll be careful."

Isuke gave her his cocky grin. "Don't worry about it! I'll be fine."

Zara watched him leave, a little saddened by his reckless nature. "Please…keep safe… for me."

Caleb walked slowly into a large room filled with swords and other types of weapons. There were posts set up everywhere and sandbags hanging from the ceiling, as well as other primitive equipment. The only other people in there were two men sparring in the far corner.

He walked up to the wall lined with weapons and strolled down it, studying each one. Then, spotting one that interested him the most, he stopped examined it with great interest. Most of it was a long black pole with a pendant that hung off of the end from a silver sting. However, at the top was a curved blade, about a third the size of the pole.

"You like that one, eh?"

Caleb was shocked out of his transfixion and jumped at the voice. It was Teious. Caleb regained his composure and looked back at the weapon. "Yes, it's a very interesting weapon. What is it?"

"It's an old Gerudo halberd. They stopped making them back when the Sheikah started attacking though. It's a great weapon."

Caleb smiled and reached his hand out, running his hand along the smooth pole. "If I could use a weapon like this…I'd be able to become part of the Resistance and help overthrow Ganondorf."

"Heh, you're a bit young, don't you think?"

"No! I am not!!" Caleb roared. "I already know how to fight! I'm not weak!"

Teious blinked and thought back to when he was Caleb's age. He acted exactly the same, training everyday so that he could become a Resistance member. It was his one and only goal as a child.

"You know…if you want to…I could teach you how to use that weapon."

Caleb's face brightened and he looked up at Teious with eagerness. "Really?! You'd do that?"

"Sure I would," Teious grinned. "I'm gonna work you hard though. You think you're up for it?"

"Of course!!"


	4. Midnight

'

**Chapter Four**: _Midnight_

'''''''''''''''''''

'

Ganondorf liked the dark. Maybe it was because he had grown-up in the desert where darkness was the only escape from the scorching heat. Perhaps he clung to that old life of his, which is why he liked to sit alone in the black abyss that was his throne room.

Right now the darkness wasn't helping though. He was hot.

With a snap of his fingers a window to his throne room opened, letting in the light from the torches outside.

He slowly got up, using a labored arm to wipe sweat from his brow. Stumbling over to the window, he stuck his head out and breathed in the fresh air. Being in the tallest room of what was once Hyrule Castle was the only place you could get fresh air; any further down and you'd be forced to breathe stale, stinking air created by moblin filth and other things Ganondorf would rather not know about.

Normally those things didn't really bother him but tonight a lot of things were bothering him that never did before.

As he gazed out upon Death Mountain and all the mountains surrounding it he seemed to realize the beauty of it all.

Wait. What was he thinking?

Wasn't it he who had destroyed most of Hyrule to make it a place for him? So that he could rule over the pitiful inhabitants of the land? So that evil could roam about the land? Why?

Power. That was it. He needed power. There was proof of it there on his left hand. He commanded legions of moblins…but it wasn't enough…spirits of the dead, evil monsters of Hyrule, men of Hyrule, and now even the guards of the Royal Family, the Sheikah. He held all of Hyrule in the palm of his hand.

But for what?

What was the purpose of it all? Why did he hunger so much for power?

Why…why was everything becoming so unclear to him?

He grasped his head, groaning in agony. Too much was going through his head…too much confusion…What was that?! A vision? The desert…His old home in Gerudo Fortress…And…Right there! A temple! Dark and forgotten somewhere…

It all faded and a burning pain replaced it in Ganondorf's head – he could sense presence getting inside of him.

He stumbled around the room, gripping his head and screaming in pain.

A Hylian man entered the room after hearing the cries. "L-Lord Ganondorf? What's wrong m'lord?"

Ganondorf, letting out an eerie cry of pain, dropped to the floor…silent.

"Lord Ganondorf…?" The Hylian walked over to his master and knelt down. "Ganond-!!"

An arm flew out from the limp body and took hold of the man's neck, squeezing hard. The man failed around, kicking and trying to beg for mercy, but he couldn't speak at all.

Ganondorf, the King of Evil, slowly stood up, holding the man up high and slowly putting more pressure on his neck. "Didn't I leave orders not to be disturbed? Well?"

The man, gasping for air, tried to speak but only his lips moved.

"You have nothing to say? Very well then."

Putting less than a little effort into it, Ganondorf completely crushed the Hylian's neck. Then, as if someone would throw out garbage, he tossed the Hylian over his shoulder and out the window, leaving him to the fall the long drop all the way down to the sharp rocks that surrounded the castle.

Ganondorf calmly walked over to his throne and picked up the glass of wine sitting on the armrest and drunk the little that was left.

"_The desert…_"

With the slightest twitch of his fingers, the glass shattered in his hands.

''''''''''''''''''''''

Teious, however reluctant, stood ready to go at one of the many exits of the Resistance base, waiting for the others. Isuke shortly arrived, along with Miroku, who seemed enthusiastic about going back out again, though, just like a Sheikah, it didn't wholly show on the outside...but since Teious had grown up with him, he could always tell.

Many people noticed that about Miroku - how he acted like a Sheikah a lot, which is why he was as respected and feared almost as much as Sheik himself. Of course, mostly everyone knew why he acted so much like a Sheik...

"Well, we ready to go?" Isuke asked.

"Yes," Miroku answered, heading out the entrance.

Teious was about to follow when Sheik walked right past him, heading out too.

"Uhh...Sheik?"

"I'm not trusting you two out there by yourselves again," he said, grabbing the ladder and climbing up after Miroku.

"Hey, I'll be with them," Isuke reminded Sheik.

".... And your point is?"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

With black clouds overcoming the stars and moon, it would have been very hard to find one's way that night had two of the four warriors not known their way in the dark.

Miroku, sans his blindfold, could find his way through the desert at night as well as Teious could during the day.

Although the Sheikah were a race of 'shadows' that lurked in the dark Sheik didn't have the ability to see in it. He could find his way through the dark easily though.

He led the way over the rocky valley until they came to Taurise. Everything had seemed to have calmed down though; the Sheikah were on their perches, keeping watch on top of the houses, Moblins patrolled the streets and look-out towers around the town…yup, everything was back to normal.

"I find it rather odd," Miroku remarked, peeking over a large outcropping at the village. "There does seem to be less guards, but why is everything back to normal after the ruckus we caused?"

"Just keep your guard up," Sheik cautioned, creeping over the outcrop and moving stealthily behind the rocks. Miroku mimicked him, staying low but moving fast without a sound, crawling almost like a spider across the sand. Isuke and Teious however weren't quite as graceful as the other two when it came to sneaking, but nevertheless they made it across silently enough in their own way.

Coming to the base of the cliff, they swiftly began to ascend, doing so fairly easily. After getting to the top, they peeked over the edge and looked around carefully.

Sheik gave Isuke a nod and pulled himself up, going over to retrieve the bags. Teious and Miroku sat on the edge of the cliff, knowing better than to follow. Never let the enemy know your true numbers.

Sheik walked slowly to the sacks filled with the swag and grabbed them both. Faster than anyone's eyes could keep up with, he released his grip and held two fingers over his heart and face. What was in his fingers?

Darts. Sheikan poisoned darts.

"_An ambush…_" Sheik thought, sighing slightly. "_I expected as much…_"

Casting off his cloak, he revealed his hidden bokuto and his new outfit. No longer did he wear the Sheikan crest on his tunic. Now he wore the Hylian crest – a red bird with the Triforce in its talons. His wrapped fingers kept a loose grip on the wooden sword, ready to take any action necessary.

Five Sheikah revealed themselves and not wasting any time charged in to attack. Sheik leapt high into the air and did a somersault backwards, landing fast enough to impale one of the Sheikah through the backbone and out his chest. Two came at him from behind and he knocked them both off balance with a horizontal crescent-kick across their jaws.

After drawing his sword from the limp carcass of the Sheikah he had just killed, he swung his sword through the air, decapitating one of the opponents he had just kicked.

With blood spewing out like a fountain, the other Sheikah lashed out at him hard. Sheik blocked each strike perfectly, and then when he found his opening he knocked the Sheikah's blade away and thrust the wooden point through his neck. Two more to go.

Isuke and the boys were watching intently as Sheik took on the five Sheikah all by himself, something even Isuke would have had a hard time doing.

The Zora thought back to when he had first met Sheik, remembering how his skills had impressed him so much at first. Now look at him! He was ten times as good as he was back then.

Being able to win against five Sheikah at the same time was no small accomplishment. Sure, at first Isuke had been able to take on that many, but those were the weaklings that had been sent in first. They were no more though.

Sheik jumped on top of the shoulders of one of his opponents and leapt off, twisting around in mid-air with a deadly swing of his sword to the Sheikah's neck.

One left! …But, where was he?

A whole swarm of moblins and Hylians poured out from behind the rocks, charging at Sheik.

If he hadn't been wearing a mask that covered the lower half of his face, everyone would have been shocked and amazed at the sight of Sheik grinning. "I was wondering if any of you would ever show."

"Well, boys," Isuke said, cracking his knuckles. "I'm not gonna let Sheik have all the fun."

He dashed off into the fray. Teious and Miroku looked at each other and grinned.

"The usual?" Teious asked.

"You're on."

They both drew their weapons and dove in after Isuke.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''

Kakariko Village.

What was once a peaceful farming village and turned around and become the lair of the Sheikah. Because of that it was a place inhabited also by spirits of the dead. Once the Sheikah had turned away from their duty to protect the Royal family, the seal over the accursed well had vanished, letting loose all evil inside it that the Sheikah had guarded for so long before.

A simple walk up a few flights of outside stairs would bring you to the place where tall black gates used to stand tall, standing guard so that no one may pass into Goron territory without the King's consent.

Well, the King was gone, and so were those gates. Replacing them was a seemingly impassible pile of rubble from a massive rockslide five years back.

Ganondorf's forces had never tried to penetrate it, and the Gorons hadn't been seen in all those years.

Of course, if Ganondorf had known who else was up there he would have gathered up an army and launched it on that mountain so fast it would make your head spin.

A woman with long blonde hair sat at the table in her room, holding something in her hands and speaking into it.

That woman was the rightful Queen of Hyrule herself… Queen Zelda. She had been in hiding up on Death Mountain ever since Ganondorf's reign had begun. It wasn't all that pleasant for her, living with Gorons, but she became accustomed to it eventually.

In her hands she held an invention of her own. It was a small blue stone – a downsized and enhanced form of the gossip stone that Zelda had made in her spare time up on the mountain. Using her magic powers she was able to compress the magic of the gossip stone into a much smaller stone, and if two people each had one it allowed them to see and hear each other even if they were all the way across Hyrule.

It was a very convenient invention and once Zelda had gotten an eagle to fly one over to the Resistance base she was able to keep in touch with everyone there.

"Thank you for informing me, and ask Sheik to contact me when he gets in," Zelda said, speaking into the stone.

"Yes, your Highness," answered the man using the other gossip stone.

Its blue glow stopped as they cut contact and Zelda placed it carefully on the table.

She sighed from boredom and walked to her bed, laying down and closing her eyes. She listened to the fire crackle and burn until she gave way a slipped into sleep…

_Green fields…Wind gracefully blowing her long golden locks…a lone tree._

_ Where was she?_

_ She walked forward, spotting someone near the tree. She didn't feel scared or anything…she knew this was some sort of vision, and wanted to know what it was about._

_ "Hello, Princess…it's been awhile," said the figure._

_ Zelda gasped. That voice…it had been so long…could it be…?_

_ "Yes, it's me…Link," he said, stepping out of the shadow of the tree to reveal himself. Tall, strong, not one bit different from when she had last seen him._

_ "Link…what's going on?"_

_ "I came to you now because there is something you need to know…"_

_ "But Link! What is this?! Aren't you dead? Are you still alive?"_

_ "The Hero of Time is dead…" Link muttered, leaning back against the tree and folding his arms. "…I am what remains." He shook his head and looked to the side, gazing out at the endless green field. "Yes, I am alive…It doesn't matter though."_

_ "Of course it matters! Why didn't you stay here Link!? We need you!"_

_ "You don't need me…because…I can no longer help. I fulfilled my destiny, the destiny of the savior of Hyrule. I didn't realize it before but because of that I was powerless to save Hyrule once again. That's why I didn't stay."_

_ "I still don't understand how could have just left." Zelda dropped to her knees, staring wistfully out at the fields along with Link._

_ "I stared a new life in a new world, Princess Zelda. Hyrule was no longer in my hands. But you still have the power to stop it. You must put your faith in Miroku and Teious. Teious has the bloodline…he is able to lead Hyrule to victory. I didn't know it when I first came across him, but Miroku has something special inside him too which is key for Hyrule to gain back its freedom. They are both children of destiny…as I was."_

_ He pushed himself off the tree and started walking away._

_ "Link!" Zelda called._

_ He stopped, but didn't turn back. "…I left in this world a shattered sacred item. Find all the pieces…and Hyrule will march to victory."_

_ With that, he walked off into the distance…and the whole vision slowly faded away…_

''''''''''''''''''''''''

Even though they fought bravely and with all their might, it seemed that the four that set out from the Resistance base were outnumbered this time.

Every single creature that worked for Ganondorf had made their way up the cliff and got involved with the chaotic melee going on.

It seemed that even Sheik was beginning to struggle with fighting off that many enemies at once. Normally Teious and Miroku would be calling back to each other how many kills they had 'scored' but at the moment if they lost concentration it could very well mean the edge of a blade across their neck.

Sheik, now using not only his wooden sword but also a kodachi he had liberated from one of his Sheikan opponents, finally gave in and yelled, "Guys! Get out of here! I'll hold them back long enough for you to get away!"

Miroku, knowing better than to question Sheik, made a wide slash with his dagger, then bent down and shot up into the air with a massive jump, sailing over the battle and to the cliff's edge, which he slid down. Teious and Isuke weren't far behind, and they all took off the opposite direction of the desert, heading towards Hyrule Field.

As Sheik looked over to check that they were safe, he felt something hard connect with his head.

Darkness consumed him.


	5. Retreat

So, what did you guy's think of me finally having Ganondorf in the fic? Hope ya'll will enjoy his part in it. At first I was gonna give his role to his son (yeah, he was gonna have a son), but then two things came to mind that made me decide against it: 1. I already have hardly any of Nintendo's characters in it. And I figured fans want to see more of 'em. 2. I wanted him to have more of a role than just the big bad boss they have to fight at the end, y'know? I wanted him be an actual MAIN character.

** Rising Dragon: Thank you, I appreciate the comment. **

** Risike: It leaves you thinking a whole lot? oo; Wow, didn't know my story had that kinda effect on people. I'm glad it's a good thing too! XD Yes, it would be so totally cool if Sheik was in LoZ 2005! It'd be even better if you could play as him or if he'd help you out in dungeons like the sages in tWW.**

** You know hoo: Yes, I know 'hoo', heh. Thanks for reading it, Katie. Glad you liked it.**

** Blowfish: Meh, I don't think my battle scenes are all that great really, they could be if I actually put some more effort into them. **

**Yeah, I liked the idea of Link coming to Zelda in a vision. I did Link instead of a sage cuz I though you guys missed the Hero so he should at least have a cameo…or will he appear again? 'insert Twilight Zone theme here'.**

**And…You like Miroku and Teious? I'm so happy someone likes them! XD **

** Wait, before you go to the next chapter, have a look at the new fic I just got up...you'll find it interesting methinks.**

**Anywho****, hope you guys like this chapter cuz it's gonna focus much more on Sheik now. And when I'm done I'm gonna try and draw a pic of Teious and Miroku together. Oh, and one minor note: The name Teriss is pronounced like 'terrace'.**

**'**

**'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''**

**Chapter Five: **_Retreat _

**'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''**

**'**

If there was one thing Teious hated, it was retreating. It never sat well with him at all, even if there was no other choice. Sometimes he thought he'd rather stay and die fighting instead of running off like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Regardless, he had fled from the battle along with Isuke and Miroku, heading to Hyrule Field instead of back to the desert. It was safer that way. They had been seen going into the desert once already, and that may have been dismissed as just a place to retreat to...but twice? Then they'd know something was up for sure there.

The guards had sent out a few people on horseback to go after the trio, but they had been able to lose the riders in the rocky valley. They sat behind one of the large boulders, contemplating what to do next.

"Well, we can't go back through Taurise," Isuke reminded them. "They'll have goons crawling all over there by now."

"What are our options then?" Teious asked.

Isuke looked up thoughtfully, and then replied, "We could travel to Zora's Domain or Kokiri Forest..."

"Or we could take the other path through the desert and go to Gerudo Valley," Miroku piped in.

All of them knew better than to bother asking 'what about Sheik?'. It was a well-known fact that he could take care of himself. They'd all end up back at the Resistance base after awhile anyway so there was no point in waiting for Sheik.

"I don't know about that," Teious cautioned. "I don't really like those Gerudo."

"Nor do they like you," Miroku replied. "But it's safe and close."

"Yeah, safe. Right."

After the Great Battle of Hyrule Field the Gerudo had sustained great losses and had gotten no pay for obvious reasons. Because of that, their relationship with the people of Hyrule had gone very sour, and now they would rather kill a Hylian than look at one.

They all sat quietly after that, everyone just thinking. Then suddenly Teious snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

"What?" was Isuke and Miroku's simultaneous question.

Teious smiled happily. "There is a tunnel in the Haunted Wastelands past Gerudo Fortress, remember? It's never used anymore but it leads back to the underground lake!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about it…" Isuke muttered. "Still, the Gerudo may have sealed it up by now."

Miroku stood up and peaked over the bolder, and then when he was sure the coast was clear he sat back down and looked at his two companions. "That is not the best of places to be going though. We'd be better off waiting for this to blow over in Gerudo Valley."

"That'll take forever!" Teious complained. "What, are you scared?"

Miroku shot him a dirty look. "No, I don't fear anything. I'm just not stupid. If we go in there we'll get lost so fast the sun won't have even come up."

"I actually think it's a good idea too," Isuke smiled.

"What!" Miroku yelled. "You're both crazy…"

"Better to be crazy than a scaredy-cat," Teious taunted with a grin.

Miroku's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't retaliate. "…Fine, we'll go through the Wasteland."

"Heh heh! Alright, on to Gerudo Fortress!" Teious laughed.

"I know I'm gonna regret this…" Miroku said under his breath.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

He could hear the sound of chains rattling... Groans of pain and misery that wouldn't cease… Crying…Praying…Cursing…

Where was he?

Sheik finally opened his eyes. Didn't do much good though. He was in a pitch-black room and his aching head burdened his ability to tell where he was without eyesight. He could feel he was chained up though; his arms and legs were both bounded, and even his neck.

He couldn't do much except sit there with his back against the wall and his head leaning back, wishing the pain in his head would go away. After what Sheik estimated was around thirty minutes, the door to his chamber opened, letting in very little torchlight, and in walked another Sheikah.

Though darkness consumed the room again as the door was closed they could 'see' each other perfectly.

"Hello, Sheik," a young female's voice said from behind the mask that covered her face just as Sheik's did. "Do you know where you are? The prison at Hyjina."

Sheik knew the place. It was a fortress that had been built on the remains of Lon Lon Ranch. He said nothing though. Just sat there and stared at her.

"Why don't you speak?" she asked.

Nothing.

"I know what you are thinking; 'Sheikah have no need to speak. We are shadows.' I suppose that's true…" she sighed. "But you Sheik…you're different. As am I."

She walked closer and knelt down next to him. "Even though you are a Sheikah…you don't know how we came to be, do you?"

Sheik didn't seem to even think about an answer; he just kept staring into her cold, blue eyes with his cold, red eyes.

The female Sheik took it as a no. "Of course you don't… you are still slightly like us. There is no reason to know our background…just get the job done, correct? Well…I'm am going to tell you.

"This may surprise you but we were once Hylians too, Sheik. Long before the Great War of Hyrule was fought. The first Sheikah was a man dedicated to the Royal Family. He was a spy and a great warrior too and his whole life was about protecting the King. Soon, he realized that there was only so much a normal human could do and sought ways to better himself to serve his King. He needed to become stronger… to move swiftly, to strike hard, to creep without behind seen.

"There was a powerful wizard who learnt of this man and helped him, through magic, to become everything he wanted to be. You know who that wizard was?"

Sheik said nothing, but he had a pretty good guess.

"Majora," said the Sheikan woman, confirming Sheik's guess. "After that Majora disappeared, leaving the new Sheikah with the power to give his 'gift' to other people. He found others who also wished to serve Hyrule as best they could and bestowed the power of shadows upon them.

"We are the way we are because of our upbringing and the genes passed down from that first Sheikah who was so dedicated to Hyrule that he changed himself completely. It…was a wake up call for me I suppose. I felt as if this hatred towards Hyrule was a curse and it had just been lifted or something."

Sheik finally withdrew his gaze from her, looking at the opposite wall. "You talk too much."

Now, if she had been a normal Hylian than she probably would have been upset that after all she said that's all he had to say to her. However, this 'wake up call' as she put it didn't seem to dig all that deep and she merely rose and walked out without another word.

Sheik wasn't really sure what to think. It could just be a trap to gain his confidence, but on the other hand he sensed sincerity in her. He sighed a mental, 'whatever' and leaned back against the cold stone that made up the wall, waiting for whatever punishment he was going to receive.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

It was no use. No matter how hard he tried Ganondorf couldn't shake the feeling. Part of himself told him he needed to go to that hidden temple, but the other part held him back, as if there was something there he didn't want to see.

Like some deep, dark secret he had forgotten and didn't want to remember.

He sat in his throne room, pondering whether he should or shouldn't go.

Well, he may as well go, right? After all, if he didn't then he might be stuck with this nagging feeling inside him forever.

Standing, he walked to the massive double doors and pushed them open effortlessly, snapping the two Hylian guards to attention.

He ignored them both, making his way down the stairs to get his horse.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

With the moon now out, it made it a whole lot easier to traverse the sand-and-rock terrain for the three warriors. They traveled swiftly over the dunes and larger outcroppings, trying to get to Gerudo Valley before sunrise.

"How long do you think it'll take to get there?" Teious asked.

"If we pick up the pace we can make it there in about two hours," Isuke replied, not breaking his sprint. "That should leave us enough time of night to sneak through Gerudo Fortress."

"Bleh, I hate sneaking around," Teious said distastefully. "Makes me feel like a coward."

"Deal with it," Miroku snapped, picking up his pace and running ahead of them both, making them start to run faster too. "We can't take on the whole Gerudo tribe by ourselves. Besides, anything makes you feel like a coward if you aren't diving head-first into a battle. It's really stupid, you know."

"Oh yeah? Well you-!"

"NOT now, boys," Isuke quickly put, trying to keep them from having an argument out here in the middle of no-where. "You'll have plenty of time to argue when we get back to the base. Besides, I'm a Zora. Being in this desert is drying me out so we need to get out of it before noon when it _really_ starts getting hot."

The two just kept their mouths shut after that, but they both tried to out run each other to the point where Isuke was left in their dusk.

He groaned and rolled his eyes, and then made short work of both of them by outrunning them easily. "C'mon, slowpokes!"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

So, was this it? Was he finished?

Most likely not, but the Sheikah that was about to throw that big ol' knife certainly thought so.

Sheik was kneeling down in the dead grass, the strong hands of an exceptionally large moblin holding him in the position. Sheik thought that he could have passed for a troll because he was so darn big.

None of the Sheikah had gathered to watch the execution. After all, what should they care? Sure, Sheik was the one and only Sheikah that wasn't against Hyrule, but they were just doing their duty by killing him. What did it matter?

Throwing a knife into the head of the victim was the way the Sheikah had always dealt with their prisoners that needed to be killed – it was no different now, whether they were under orders from the King of Hyrule or the King of Evil.

Wasting no time, the Sheikah tossed the knife with extreme power and precision. Had the knife connected, it probably would have pierced Sheik's skull and only stopped when the blade was all the way in.

That is, _if_ the knife had connected.

Timing it exactly right, Sheik simply cocked his head a little to the side, and the blade went flying by, right into the groin of the giant moblin.

Sheik reached back and, paying no attention to the moblin's screams of pain, grabbed the knife and pulled it out, swiftly moving towards the executioner for the kill.

The unarmed Sheikah grabbed Sheik's right arm as it came in to attack and shoved his knee up into Sheik's gut, but it didn't do much. Sheik had already sprung from the ground so the knee did little more than give him an extra push to complete the hurried jump and land behind him.

Once there, Sheik stabbed backwards, the Sheikan blade cutting through skin and muscle until finally reaching the bone, where Sheik ripped the blade out, cutting his executioner's spine in two and taking part of his rib cage in the process.

Feeling that the Sheikah wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, he advanced towards one of the buildings that he could use to get over the wall and out the fortress.

Unfortunately, several Sheikah that seemed rather intent on keeping him from leaving blocked the path, and these guys were armed. Sheik wasn't too sure if he could get through them all with only this small knife. If only it had been a larger dagger, like the one Miroku used…

But then again…it looked like he may not have to use it.

His eyes not wavering, he reached up and grabbed his bokuto as it soared through the air. Landing next to him, it seemed that the Sheikah that had visited him earlier was going to help.

Neither of them saying anything, they both rushed in to attack. Sheik got a kill quickly enough by grabbing the arm of the Sheikah in front and tossing him into two others, and then while he was stunned, plunged the wooden sword into him.

He shot a hard kick into an attacker coming up from behind and another into the kidneys of one coming up from the side, then with one swing he decapitated both of them.

More and more Sheikah were gathering and Sheik knew he wouldn't come out of it alive if he stayed to fight them all. He was good, but not _that_ good.

Taking out another Sheikah, he pulled back then ran right up the side of one of the towers, and, upon reaching the top, he impaled the guard at the top and kicked off of the wall, diving out of the tower and completely over the wall.

He noticed that the moon had mysteriously disappeared behind the clouds all of the sudden, leaving him and the young Sheikan woman that was following him to make good use of their shadow forms - they quickly disappeared into the shadows of the cold night.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"I'll ask you again. And if you don't answer this time, I'm leaving. Why are you leading me through here?"

Sheik wasn't annoyed, just slightly bothered that this Sheikah had lead him deep into Kokiri Forest but had not yet told him why they were traveling there.

"We are going to see someone very important."

"Okay, fine, but-"

"Shh!"

She quieted him as they entered a large clearing where the long-dead Great Deku Tree stood.

"It still looks as strong as the day it died…" Sheik remarked. It was strong magic keeping it in this state, but Sheik couldn't seem to tell what kind or where it was emanating from.

"Come," Teriss said, leading him to the base of the tree.

As if it knew they were coming, an opening had appeared that they were able to enter through.

The hollowed tree was dim with a few torchlights, and any normal person wouldn't have seen it…but Sheik could clearly see the faces of many small children peeking at him from various hiding spots.

"What the…?"

"So you brought him," came a familiar voice. "Thank you, Teriss."

Sheik's gazed moved to where the voice had come from.

Out of the shadows stepped a tall figure wrapped up in a large, baggy cloak.

"…You're the last person I expected to see here..." Sheik commented softly, his default gaze still withstanding.

The figure gave him a warm smile. "Greetings, old friend. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"


	6. Discoveries

Alright, first I'd like to apologize for not updating in forever... I guess I got sorta discouraged after only two people reviewed the last chapter (not including Shane, cuz she only review because I was whining about it). A reason now that I find totally stupid. Two is pretty good, considering there are stories out there that don't even get one review per chapter. Anyway, after a long break, I want to start working on the Sheikan Chronicles project again, and I hope ya'll will come back to support me again.

Its actually really good. I mean, twenty reviews for a story that has five chapters? Not bad at all, so, I just want to thank everyone that took the time to read this story.

Thank you so much everyone!

**In other news, anyone remember back in my first story when Link started out as a rancher, overalls and all? Heh, funnily enough, Nintendo is doing the exact same thing to start out the new LoZ game, clothes and all. If you don't know about it, check out the latest news on **

**BladeMaster16: Heh, thanks, I appreciate it, Shane. I'm so glad you like my series! **

**Draz****: Thanks much Glad someone finds it interesting, lol. As for Ganondorf... Well, I ain't one for spoilers, heh.**

**Rising Dragon: Yes, cliffhanger... Ain't it great? Never fear, you'll find out who it is soon enough 3**

**Anyway, on to the chapter!**

**'**

**''''''''''''''''''''''**

**Chapter Six: **_Discoveries_

**''''''''''''''''''''''**

**'**

Gerudo Valley.

A rocky path through the desert mountains. It lead to a towering canyon which separated Hyrule territory from Gerudo territory. Bones with arrows still in the skulls were all that was left of the men that had tried to traverse the valley and gotten a little too close Gerudo territory.

Teious, from his position behind a large rock just off the path, could make out a few half-rotten corpses laying in awkward positions all over the path among the skeletons. They had various things in them… Knives, arrows, even axes… one particular corpse had dried brain all over his face that had oozed out from a large wound on the forehead.

Having growing up in a war-ridden world, Teious had grown-up seeing such things but he never quite got used to it like Miroku seemed to.

He shuddered and turned away, looking back over at the canyon. The bridge that had once allowed passage between the sides of the canyon was long gone. The Gerudo must've taken care of that as soon as they all returned.

They could still get in and out of the valley if they needed though. There were other ways of passing back into Hyrule territory. Much harder ways, that is. Ways that involved trekking through seemingly endless desert and monster infested mountains. Fortunately for Miroku and Teious, they had passed large gaps before, so this wouldn't be much of a problem.

The real problem would be getting past those Gerudo patrolling the other end of the canyon. Before it was nothing but a path leading through the mountains to the famed Gerudo Fortress, but now the path was blocked off by a large stone wall with a tower on either side that had two Gerudo in each. There was no gate or any way of getting behind the wall; what did they need to get out for anyway? Their race wasn't going to die out anytime soon seeing as they lived in the desert forever. Their only concern was keeping people out. And, by the looks of it, that wall was pretty sturdy.

Teious slumped back into his position behind the rock and looked at the others. Isuke was panting hard and his body was turning a strange brownish color. The desert heat was getting to his aquatic body. The dark night allowed Miroku to see, so he was surveying the area, planning out the next move like he always did.

"This is just great…" Teious grumbled.

"It was your idea, remember?" Miroku replied. There was no 'I told you so' or anything in his voice – he was just stating a fact.

Teious shook his head. "Ah, darn, what's gotten into me? This should be a great challenge, eh? Must be getting tired…"

"Hey," Miroku whispered, looking over at Isuke. "You gonna be okay?"

"Urhhh…S-sure…"

Miroku looked from him to the canyon, then back again. "This is no time to play the tough guy, Master Isuke. You can dive down to canyon and swim to Lake Hylia, from there you can take the underwater path all the way to Zora Domain."

"W-what….? Arrgh… And leave you two alone?"

"We're big boys, we can handle ourselves." With that, Miroku gave Isuke a good shove and sent him tumbling down the side of the mountain, out and down the canyon.

"Oooh, man, he's gonna be so ticked off at you when we see him again," Teious warned.

"Oh well, I saved his life," Miroku answered, peeking over at the guards in the towers. They weren't even looking towards Miroku and Teious' side of the mountain, so their presence was still undetected.

"Now what?" Teious asked. "Human Arrow?"

Miroku grinned faintly and nodded. "Human Arrow."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Impa set down a cup of green tea in front of Sheik, who sat at one end of the tree stump that was being used as a table. She had already shed that big baggy cloak of hers and was dressed in clothes that one might find a Hylian peasant woman wearing.

They were in a clearing a little ways away from the Deku Tree's clearing, the canopy of trees letting very little moonlight in, but it was enough for the two Sheikah.

"Are you going to tell me where you've been all these years or not?" Sheik asked bluntly.

Impa sat down cross-legged and slowly took a sip of her own tea. "…Aren't you going to drink?"

Sheik just stared at her with that emotionless look of his. A sheikah didn't eat or drink in the open – one could get distracted by doing so, and Sheik still held strong to his Sheikan training.

"I disappeared for eleven years…" Impa said thoughtfully, setting her cup down. "And where was I? I've been right here, Sheik."

She paused, but Sheik just waited for her to go on.

"The Deku Tree is now dead. With his last bit of strength he created children of the forest… The once destroyed race of Kokiri. The Kokiri are very important, and, as long as there are Kokiri, a new Deku Tree will be able to sprout. I'm not sure how it works, but that's what the Great Deku Tree told me.

"When the Sheikah attacked I left in search of a way to vanquish Majora, knowing that his plan was to resurrect Ganondorf. It seems I was too late. So, I came here, to seek the Deku Tree's wisdom. And here I've been for over ten years, looking after the children and researching."

Sheik's stare didn't change at all. "Researching what?"

Impa gazed up at the sky through a break in the trees, almost thoughtfully. "The Deku Tree held an abundance of knowledge, so when I sat alone and meditated on it, even in death, his lingering memories and thoughts came to me."

"Did you find out anything of importance?" Sheik asked.

Impa nodded slowly up and down. "I wonder, did you ever think about why Majora would want to free Ganondorf from the Sacred Realm?"

"Information like that is inessential," Sheik said, standing up. "If you have no information for me that will help defeat Ganondorf, I'll take my leave."

A grin found its way to Impa's face and she let out short laugh. "Typical Sheikah, heh."

Sheik glanced back through the woods, then back at Impa. "I am curious as to one thing though."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"How did you get her to break away from the Sheikah?"

"Ah, that," Impa nodded, folding her arms. "I merely lifted the curse from her."

"The curse?" Sheik cocked his head to one side, having no idea what she was talking about.

"You still don't know? My, my, Sheik, I thought you would've figured it out by now."

"Just tell me," Sheik half-growled.

"You remember the story, yes? Of how us Sheikah came to be."

Sheik nodded, remembering back to when Teriss came to his cell.

"Did it ever strike you as odd that Majora would help out the Royal family by giving them the perfect assassin, and then just disappear from the face of the earth…? When Majora gave the first Sheikah his powers of shadow, he slipped a little something else in there with it."

Sheik understood now, but let Impa continue.

"The curse. It was a little something that Majora put there so that he could control us Sheikah whenever he wanted to. You see, when he gave this the first of us these powers it became hereditary, so that they would passed down among his children, and then his children's children and so on. But the curse spread the exact same way. All Majora was doing was biding his time until…"

"Until there was enough of us for an uprising," Sheik finished.

"Exactly."

"Why wasn't I effected by this curse then? Or you for that matter."

"You know how I was raised by human parents, Sheik. I'm not sure, but something about my upbringing must've negated the effect of the curse. And you, well, you were my pupil before you became a Sheikan warrior. I pretty much raised you myself, so, the same thing must have happened to you."

Sheik shook his head, looking down. "It still doesn't make much sense, really. If you raised the curse from that girl, couldn't you do it to the rest?"

Impa shook her head solemnly. "I wish I could. The whole process takes time though, and I doubt the Sheikah are gonna sit around while I lift the curse. I kidnapped Teriss while she was making her rounds…it was about, oh, three years ago when I first found out a way to lift the curse. I chained her down and told her the story about how we came to be to get her mood to soften, while I worked on the curse."

"I see," Sheik said quietly, processing the information through his head over and over. "Well, if that's all the info you have for me, I'll be leaving now."

With that, he turned and started to walk off.

"Sheik!" Impa called.

Sheik stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Where is the heir?"

"…He's safe."

Sheik continued on and slowly faded away until the forest shadows completely consumed him.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Miroku peeked around the rock again, taking another look at the Gerudo in the towers. He slipped back into a sitting position behind the rock and looked up at the sky, then the ground, like he was studying it.

"Tch… They're done chatting and are looking this way again. We can't get past now."

Teious held up his middle and index fingers together, and they started glowing slightly. "Want me to hit 'em with some light magic?"

"I was hoping to avoid any killing but I looks like our only option," Miroku answered. "Get ready."

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Ganondorf rode his black steed through the rocky trail and an incredible speed. Gerudo Valley was just up ahead… Once he got through there… he would find some answers.

''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''''

GASP! What is Ganondorf going to look for? Will Miroku and Teious be discovered? Is Isuke alright? What's Sheik's next move? Find out, next time on 'CHILDREN OF DESTINY'!

…..cough Anyway… Thanks for reading, please tell me what you thought, and, if its not too much of a bother, check out Book Three, 'The Lost' and gimme some insight on it…PLEASE? ;


	7. Light

Now, my stories have never contained any bad language so far, but, just so ya'll know, there will be a bit of cussing later on in this chapter. I don't intend to make this a habit, I just felt that it was the best was of showing how badly treated… Uh, well, you'll find out. Not much else to say… just, thanks BladeMaster and Rising Dragon for reviewing, thanks very much. You guys, my reviewers, are what keep me going. 

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

**Chapter Seven: **_Light_

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

'

Ganondorf yanked back on the reins, making his large black stallion rear back with a loud whinny. This noise got the attention of the Gerudo in the watchtowers. Fear tangled their face with shock as they realized that Ganondorf, the King of Evil himself, was here to pay them a visit.

Wasting no more time, a Gerudo let loose an arrow at the dark man. The aim was rushed, and Ganondorf didn't even flinch when it zipped right past his face.

What fools, thinking they could fend off the Great Ganondorf with a measly arrow.

"Pah, a Gerudo, missing a still target with an arrow?" He cackled slightly. "There was a time when you Gerudo would beat your own if they missed."

It was true. Gerudo were excellent archers due to their exhausting practices of archery everyday. Missing a target was considered shameful, and a student would get beaten for such a thing. Ganondorf still carried scars from it, scars he remembered well. Look at them - scared to the point of missing because of him. Yeah, where's that whip now?

He looked at those Gerudo in the tower and remembered just how much he resented them. It was for all those beatings, that terrible life they had made him live, all the pain he has endured. He had been a child destined to become king of the Gerudo, yet the race had all looked down on him, mocked him, for being a male. How bitterly he held those memories in his mind…

He grinned as a thought crossed his mind. Why not? After all, he may as well have a little fun while he was out here.

Two more Gerudo launched arrows at him and Ganondorf simply raised his hand. The two arrows made an about-face in mid-air and returned to their respective owners, burying their sharp points into the Gerudo's skulls. Ganondorf chuckled slightly at those pathetic mortals, his horse levitating over the canyon and landing on the other side. He wasted no time now. Drawing his large sword from a sheath on the horse he charged the wall. With one deadly swing his blade connected with the heavy brick…

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Thunder. Something like the loud bellowing sound of thunder when it's very close. That's all Miroku and Teious heard at least. As soon as Ganondorf's blade met with the pale brick they were both blown back behind their hiding place by the immense power that emanated from the attack. There was nothing left now except rubble and remains of the Gerudo in the watchtowers.

"That… What the heck was that!" Teious exclaimed.

"Such raw power… Amazing," Miroku commneted quietly.

Teious gave his friend a half-shocked, half-annoyed look. "Amazing? Are you crazy! **_That_** is the guy we're up against!"

"I'm not saying it's a good thing," Miroku replied, making his way down the mountainside. "All I'm saying is that his power is amazing."

Teious followed after him, being careful not to slip or trip on anything. "Yeah, well, it just amazes _me_ that you can be so calm about it." Sure, Teious knew that Miroku was calm about everything – he got it from being trained by Sheik – but this was just nuts. That…monster… just took down the whole wall and its towers with nothing but a single swing of his sword! How were they supposed to compete with that?

"Stop dawdling, Teious!" Miroku scolded, already at the base of the mountain.

Teious descended the rest of the way in a rush, causing him to trip over an unmoving rock. He rolled and crashed at the bottom, right at Miroku's feet. The half-skull kid shook his head wearily and walked over to the canyon.

After recovering from his little plummet-back-to-earth, Teious joined Miroku on the edge of the canyon and gazed down at the long drop. "Hope Isuke didn't get hurt when he fell."

"Isuke is tough. A little fall ain't gonna hurt him."

Teious shot him a peeved look.

Little fall. Right. It's _only _a, what, few hundred foot drop, right?

"C'mon. Let's get to the other side," Miroku reminded him.

Teious nodded and turned so that his back was to the canyon, intertwining his fingers and holding them out in front of himself. Miroku backed up a ways… then charged right at his friend. Reaching max speed, he hopped on top of Teious' hands and Teious, putting all his strength into it, flung his arms, along with his whole self, backward. The force rocketed Miroku to the other side of the canyon, we he landed safely and rolled back up to his feet.

"Nice one, Teious," Miroku complemented, dusting himself off.

"Thank you," Teious said, already backed up a good ways away from the canyon. He ground his foot into the dirt and kicked off, running as fast as he could towards the edge. He leapt off of the canyon side and instantly spun around, firing off a massive surge of light magic that served to propel him the rest of the way, to the other side of the canyon. He tried to land upright but his foot landed on a loose rock and it slipped, causing him to fall and land on his rump.

"Hurry up," was all Miroku said, dashing off through the rubble and into the path that lead to Gerudo Fortress.

Teious groaned and got to his feet after having another sloppy landing and ran off after his companion.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Ever since he was a child, Isuke got mad easily. If he didn't get what he wanted, he'd get all mad and start screaming. When he got older he just got ticked off and would do stuff to embarrass his high-ranking father, since he was the zora that was usually making him mad. Otherwise he'd just beat whoever it was into a bloody pulp.

He had a serious temper, and it often lead to him getting into lots of trouble – life-threatening or otherwise. But right now he was pretty sure he'd never been more pissed off in his life.

Miroku, that little punk, had just gone and knocked him off a cliff. _Isuke_, the greatest Zora warrior ever, had been kicked off of a cliff like he was some piece of trash or something. Perhaps it was more his pride that was hurting than his side that had connected with a sharp rock on the way down from the cliff, but Isuke didn't care right now. Miroku was so going to get it when he got back.

The Zora warrior was floating on his back around the middle of Lake Hylia, recovering his strength for the long swim ahead. Perhaps if he had full strength he would've gone on a rampage out of rage and started crushing what was left of the old Hyrule ruins. At the moment though, he was content to just float there, letting the cool water and wind cleanse him and help him relax.

His hip had a jagged cut in it from that rock on the way down the mountain, but the bleeding had stopped so he figured it would be fine until he made it to Zora Domain.

There was a tunnel deep in the old Hyrule ruins that lead right through the underground waterways under Hyrule Field, all the way to Zora Domain which was completely on the _other _side of Hyrule. Although, he traveled underwater at a max speed of sixty-five knots and he could keep it up for an hour or so with limited body movement, so he'd get there fast enough.

After resting another fifteen minutes or so, he finally felt well enough to embark on the first stretch of his journey to the Domain. He dove under water and swam into the deep depths of the ruins, to the tunnel which he had traversed so many times before.

Glancing quickly over his shoulder, he opened his fins and flapped them down forcefully, taking off down the long, dark tunnel.

A few moments later…. A large shadowy figure made its way down and swam into the tunnel after him…

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Ganondorf's heavy footsteps echoed through the dead-silence of Gerudo Valley. Amazing, it was, that a race that had survived over thousands of millennia had been wiped out a mere half-hour. Blood ran like a flowing river through the fortress, draining from the bodies of Gerudo warriors that were lay sprawled all over the ground. Tattered limbs and such were all over, even heads that had been cleaved in two, brains leaking out and soaking the ground below them. Bodies with their heads ripped open, shoulders cut through, heads lobbed off, various limbs torn off and thrown everywhere… it was sickening.

Ganondorf seemed to be enjoying it though. Now that the massacre was over his eyes were drinking in the horror and gore the same way an artist might admire his latest masterpiece. But…what was this? Someone moving? Well, that would be taken care of shortly.

The King of Evil walked slowly over to the squirming body, his large sword resting on his shoulder, ready to swing down and decapitate the victim. Yet…something stopped him. The Gerudo looked up into his eyes, her own sorrowful eyes damp with tears, her cheeks still bore a shimmering trail that the tears before had traveled woefully down.

This girl was…

Her hand was clutched over her stab wound, crimson from the blood flowing from it. The wound was deep – she wouldn't linger in this world for much longer.

"Seirus… I…always hoped you'd … come back." Her dark eyes stared at him. They bore no hatred against him, only… sadness and pity…

Her head dropped back and the last bit of life drained from her eyes. Ganondorf stood over her… that name going through his head over and over.

_Seirus…Seirus…Seirus…_

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Seirus! Get your ugly ass over here!"

Gerudo Fortress, quiet some years ago, was where the older Gerudo was screaming for 'Seirus' to come to her. A young Ganondorf, somewhere in his early-teens, rushed over to the barking woman, dragging a large sword behind him.

"Y-yes?" He asked quietly.

"Yaitess tells me you were late for your sword lesson. Why?" She asked sternly.

"I…I was practicing my archery," Ganondorf replied, his head low, not looking back at the imposing eyes before him. Because of this he failed to see the fist coming strait at his face, knocking him off his feet and onto the dusty ground.

"You men are nothing but useless pieces of shit," she growled, giving him a good kick to his side. "Your archery hasn't improved either! Your damn aim is off all the time!"

Ganondorf groaned in pain, rolling over and cupping a hand over the blood flowing from his nose.

"GET UP!" She shrieked, jabbing him in the stomach with her heel. "Go on! Get that sad-ass face of yours out of here before I _really_ get pissed off!"

Ganondorf got up slowly and limped off, many of the Gerudo snickering at his pathetic display.

Seirus… that's what they called him. In the desert tongue it meant 'worthless' or 'pathetic'… and that's what they all thought of him. Gerudo thought all men were dirt, and, even though he was destined to be King of the Gerudo, they thought the same of thing about him and had no trouble showing it at all.

He hated this place. He hated them. He hated everything.

Although, there was one thing he loved. It was going out in the mountains at nighttime and silently training with his sword. He found it to be relaxing, almost comforting. If anything, it was an escape from his horrible life of abuse and torture.

Ganondorf knelt down in a dark corner and curled up, resting his chin on his knees. He wanted to get away…to leave this place and never come back…

"Hey, Seirus…?"

Seirus… Coming from that sweet voice Ganondorf really didn't mind being called it. He knew she didn't mean anything by it, to her it was nothing but an innocent nickname.

Ganondorf felt comfortable around her, so he slowly uncurled and looked up at the young Gerudo female, whose tender green eyes looked into his with compassion. Her name was Lila, and she was his one and only friend in this cursed wasteland.

She bent over and looked him in the eye, her red locks slipping over her shoulder, slightly covering her face. "Seirus, what happened?"

Ganondorf looked down at the ground and muttered, "Reya happened."

"She beat you again?" Lila asked, taking out a bit of cloth and using it to clean his bloody nose.

He nodded sadly.

"What for this time?"

"Same as last time," he murmured, letting Lila dab at his nose. "My archery isn't good enough and I was late for my lesson."

"Oh…I see," she remarked sadly.

"What is it!" He growled. "Don't they have any respect for their future king!"

Lila put a comforting hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. "They're scared of you, Seirus, that's why they do these things to you."

Ganondorf cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"They're scared of what you may do once you're king so they're trying to keep you in line by beating you up and scaring you. They want to control you, Seirus, that's what it's all about."

"It's not just because I'm a man?" He asked her.

"Well…" She gave him a hug. "That too. You men are pretty stupid, most of all you," she joked.

Ganondorf cracked a smiled and stood up. "Oh really? Well, at least I can beat you at sword-fighting."

"Like heck you can!"

"Wanna find out?"

"Right here, right now."

"Get ready!"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Lila…" Ganondorf's rough voice said, as he stared at her dead body. Dead by his own hands. What was this feeling creeping up on him…? It was an old feeling, something he hadn't felt in the longest time.

Sadness?

Ganondorf, the great King of Evil, felt sadness? There was something wrong here. Something was tugging at his stone heart, and he felt like it was making it soften.

What the HELL was happening to him!

He grunted and rushed off to his steed, anxious to find that temple and get some answers. Not without taking one look back at Lila's body though.

Turning forward again, he yelled at his horse and took off forward, into the darkness of the desert.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Miroku and Teious stepped lightly up the stairs leading to the higher ground in Gerudo Fortress. Miroku found the stench of blood sickening, and if he wasn't so used to the smell already he probably would've keeled over and puked right there. By looking at Teious, he could tell the taller lad was having some difficulty with the smell too, and he didn't even have Miroku's heightened sense of smell.

"This…is awful…" Teious stared at all the bodies. "He completely massacred them…"

Miroku looked at all the bodies in sadness. So many lives lost today… He had grown up in a war-ridden world, but never had he seen such a massive amount of death in such a short time. But, there was nothing he could do for them.

They were dead, he wasn't. He could still do something to stop this madman.

"We need to go look for survivors," Teious said, starting towards one of the buildings.

Miroku watched Teious run to an entrance, and he just turned and started walking towards the gate that lead to the desert.

"Miroku! C'mon!" Teious' voice pleaded.

"There are no survivors, Teious," Miroku muttered as he walked. "I will no longer linger here with the stench of death."

"But…"

"Stay if you want," Miroku interrupted. "The only ones among the living here are us… no one else. You'll only find more death."

Teious gave a hesitant glance into the darkness that lead deep into the fortress. Miroku stopped and looked over his shoulder at Teious, who continued to gaze into the darkness. What was he thinking? Was he actually scared of what he might find in there? Miroku turned completely around and looked at his childhood friend.

Interesting, really. He had been surrounded by death all his life but now it seemed Teious was afraid to go in there. Afraid was it, or maybe just tired? Perhaps he just didn't want to have to face anymore death. Miroku told him no one was left alive, and now he didn't want to go in. Maybe he _was_ tired of facing death.

"Teious," Miroku spoke calmly yet loud enough to break Teious from his trance. The taller warrior looked away from the entrance and at his friend. "Come, we will lose Ganondorf if we linger much longer." Miroku motioned for him to follow and ran off towards the gate, his dark cloak flowing out behind him.

Teious nodded and, without looking back, raced after Miroku.

_So much…death…_

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

It pained her to think of it. Her kind was living in luxury and bliss while all of Hyrule was in the state it was. They would be eating fruit and drinking fine wine, while these poor Hylians were forced to eat stale bread and drink mucky water. Her kind would be resting on lavish beds and soft pillows – these people living underground had nothing but straw. Sometimes not even that.

Zara was tired - Tired of everything.

She was leaning against the cold stone wall of an empty training room. Her hands had not yet been cleansed of the blood from the baby she had delivered earlier. But… life, sometimes, was taken away as soon as it came to be. The mother had died giving birth to the baby. It was a blow, but what really killed her was when she couldn't keep the baby alive… when its frantic, pained, screaming finally stopped and it fell completely limp in her arms.

Nothing could've prepared her for that. Nothing in the world. Zara couldn't do anything but stare at the beautiful baby that had been taken so quickly from this world. Tears had quickly come and she couldn't handle it anymore. She didn't _want_ to have to handle it… Her body violently shook as hot tears streamed down her face. She keeled over and her stomach ejected was little was in it all over the stone floor.

What could she do? She remembered feeling lost, staring around the room as if she was a little child dropped into a dark and confused world, and she couldn't get out.

Her whole body shook…she felt light-headed. One last look at the lifeless baby, the baby she couldn't keep alive, was all it took to send her off. Her vision faded into darkness and…that's all she could remember.

What happened after that? She woke up a little later, only to find that the husband had been so grief-stricken by both losses he had then and there pulled out his dagger and plunged it into his own heart, taking his life.

She remembered that the idea seemed tempting at the time. How could death be worse than what they were all living right now? Why should they keep living?

Hope.

Something commonly described as a tiny light that flickered in a vast darkness. The one light that remained when all other lights go out. Zara could think of nothing better to describe it. She felt like she was running around in the darkness, searching franticly for that small glimmer of light - If she could get but a small glimpse of it she knew she could keep going.

Where was it though? Where was that light?

She was tired. She didn't want to think about it anymore. Rest…and she would be able to help out better.

Zara slid down the stone wall and curled up in the corner. Right now, more than anything, she wished Isuke's warm smile was there to comfort her like it always did.

As her mind and body relaxed she slowly drifted off into a deep sleep, praying that one day soon she would find that light…


End file.
